Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit (BWV 144.6) - JS Bach. Aaron Lington, baritone saxophone

Bach.
It has been a minute; have been occupied with other matters. Today I wanted to come back to these...and how glad I did.
Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit. The chorale from the larger cantata.
Performed first on February 6, 1724 - Septuagesima. Today is just shy of 260 years ago.
The melody was composed by Claudin de Sermisy (ca. 1495-1562) who was a famous French composer at home in both secular and sacred music. He even composed two parody masses in which secular themes/melodies, such as this one, were used as the basis for a church mass. The melody first appeared in print in a collection of secular songs for 4 voices entitled “Trente et quatre chansons…” printed by Pierre Attaingnant on January 28, 1528.
Although the evidence is not completely clear, it would appear that the author of the text was Duke Albrecht of Prussia (1490-1568) and that it first appeared in 1547 at which time it was coupled with the melody which has a different origin. A fourth and final verse was added by an unknown author in Nürnberg in 1555. Duke Albrecht of Prussia was born as Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach in Ansbach, was named the ‘High Master’ of the German Order (of Knights?). During the Reichstag in Nürnberg in 1522/1523, he was persuaded to join the Reformation and proceeded to introduce the Reformation in Prussia which he then transformed into secular duchy. He died of the plague in Tapiau (East Prussia) in 1568.
The German text of the first verse is:
Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit,
Sein Will', der ist der beste;
Zu helfen den'n er ist bereit,
Die an ihn glauben feste;
Er hilft aus Not, der fromme Gott,
Und züchtiget mit Massen,
Wer Gott vertraut, fest auf ihn baut,
Den will er nicht verlaßen.
And in English thus:
What my God wants , may it always happen,
his will is what is best.
He is ready to help those
who believe firmly in him
He helps us in our poverty , the holy God,
and punishes us in moderation
Who places his trust in God and builds firmly on him,
he will not abandon.
****************
The melody of this chorale is very singable and not particularly colorful (in my opinion). However, the harmony is excellent and of course I love how Bach treats it.
Perhaps on a future date, I'll analyze the full chorale, but in the meantime, check out the last measure during the cadence. One expects (rightly so) an authentic cadence, but rather than just a I chord (with picardy third) on the downbeat, you get a V7/IV - iv 6/4 - I (with the picardy third). SUPER surprising and honestly, quite amazing.
I hope you all enjoy this. I'll do some more as time allows. Perhaps some fugues as well.
Recorded on a Zoom Q8 with a Sennheiser MD441 mic
Apollo Twin X Audio Interface and Logic Pro X
Selmer Super Action 80 Serie II Baritone Saxophone (#511xxx)
Selmer S-80 C** Mouthpiece
Francois Louis ligature
Rico/D'Addario Reserve Reed #4